NOTE: This is a Musgovian recipe. Musgovian dishes are based on looking in your pantry, larder, freezer, refrigerator, etc. and deciding, "This Must Go, and That Must go!". There is a LOT of flexibility in terms of ingredients with this dish. While this version features a Southwestern flavor, you could go towards a Barbecue or Gumbo flavor by changing the spices. Or you could use more lentils and curry powder to make it Indian style.

BEANS:

Use whatever dried legumes you have on hand. If you're shopping for this recipe pick up a package of (7, 10, 12, or 16) bean soup mix. Use whatever suits your taste and/or budget. Lentils would also be fine in this dish.

Rinse the beans and pick out any trash if needed. Place them in a large pot and cover with hot water. There should be enough water to be two inches over the the beans. Allow them to soak overnight then drain then change the water. Add vinegar and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for at least 4 hours. All day on the back of the stove or in a crockpot is the best way to do this. Top up the liquid as needed to make sure they don't dry out. You can use water or other flavored liquid (I used a bottle of beer) for this.

You can also use canned or frozen beans if you want to shorten the cooking process. We had lots of dried beans on hand that needed using up so the overnight method worked fine.

MEATS:

Chop the bacon into small chunks and brown it in a large pan. Drain off the bacon grease, reserving some for later cooking. Add the sausage and break it up as it fries. The turkey (or beef) follows shortly into the pan. Fry this mixture until well browned and evenly crumbled. Remove the browned meat to a colander lined with paper towel and allow it to drain thoroughly. Drain off the grease into the trash (NOT down the sink drain).

SOUP BASE:

Cook the onions in the reserved bacon grease until they start to become translucent (about 5 minutes) then add the garlic. Cook for another two minutes then drain most of the grease. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking until it becomes fragrant and slightly browned. Add in the spices and allow them to cook for a couple of minutes and flavor the tomato paste. Sprinkle in the sugar and stir the mixture.

Add the crushed tomatoes (we had Italian style with basil on hand) and the drained meats. Stir and allow to simmer a bit while you check on the beans. The mixture should be fairly thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Finally, mix the beans (and their broth) in with the soup base/meats mixture. Return this to the back of the stove, or crockpot, to simmer for at least another hour. Thin with beef stock as needed or desired.

Serve in bowls or large cups with crusty bread to soak up the liquids.

Based on the listed ingredients, each (app 1 cup) serving contains an estimated:

Cals: 327, FatCals: 135, TotFat: 15g

SatFat: 6g, PolyFat: 3g, MonoFat: 6g

Chol: 40mg, Na: 400mg, K: 520mg

TotCarbs: 19g, Fiber: 5g, Sugars: 3g

NetCarbs: 14g, Protein: 14g